www.easterncourier.co.nz
Friday, December 10, 2010
War book surfaces
By MATT BOWEN
Historic exchange: Jack Rennie has a final look at Dick Larcombe's World War Two log book before gifting it and other historical items to RAF Flight Lieutenant John Leeder, right, and RNZAF Squadron
Leader Bubba Hallinan.
Photos: FIONA GOODALL
Detailed record: An example of Lieutenant Larcombe's notes.
IT'S NOT much to look at.
The modest log book is
about an inch thick with
time-stained pages bound in
a black cover.
But the historical artefact
is about to travel overseas in
a diplomatic bag via the High
Commission in Wellington to
the Royal Air Force Museum
in Hendon, England.
It surfaced when 89-year-
old Pakuranga resident Rich-
ard Larcombe died in Decem-
ber last year. The intricately
detailed record covers his
years as a fighter pilot in the
RAF from 1940 to 1948.
Most of his time was spent
flying bombing missions, sor-
ties and reconnaissance over
the Middle East and North
Africa but he also emerged
unscathed from the Battle of
Britain.
Mr Larcombe had no
known family.
His possessions went to co-
executor of his will and good
mate Jack Rennie.
An agreement was reached
to give the book back to the
RAF after discussions with
fellow executor Pakuranga
lawyer David Stone and the
Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Mr Rennie and his wife
Mary handed it to RAF Flight
Lieutenant John Leeder at an
intimate ceremony on
Wednesday morning. RNZAF
Squadron Leader Bubba Hal-
linan was there too.
He says Mr Larcombe
meticulously noted his take-
off and landing locations on
hand-drawn maps as well as
bombing hits and misses.
For example, on August 11,
1943, he flew an anti-sub
sweep'' over a shipping lane
in the Arabian Sea.
His record of service shows
he also flew in South Africa,
Rhodesia, Italy and Pakistan.
Lieutenant Leeder says the
historic objects will go on dis-
play at the RAF Museum and
the data will be posted online.
The records will prove
invaluable to the air histori-
cal branch in the United
Kingdom which deals with
building that bigger picture
of service during the second
world war.''
Mr Larcombe moved to
New Zealand in the 1960s
where he earned a reputation
as the elderly gentleman
cruising the streets in his
imported red MGB-GT.
He was also active in the
Probus Club and loved model
aeroplanes.
So did Mr Rennie.
Every year he'd say: Come
on Jack we'll have a great
day'.''
We'd head off to Ardmore
and get in the DC3 plane,'' he
says.
We'd go on a big survey of
the countryside and he'd be
thinking of the troubles in
the Battle of Britain. Every
year we celebrated that.''
Visit www.eastern
courier.co.nz to see a slide
show of the Hendon museum.